1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a combination golf ball retriever and trap rake which consists of a head having a plurality of tines supported thereon affixed to an extendible handle. The tines extend in both an upwardly and downwardly direction whereby the lower tines will engage submerged golf balls and balls upwardly deflected by the lower tines will be retained by the upper tines. The tines are mounted upon pivotally supported arms for folding to a storage or carrying position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf courses often include water hazards, and a number of golf ball retrievers have been developed for salvaging golf balls which find their way into a water hazard. Most golf ball retrievers are of the pocket type wherein a cup is mounted upon an extendible handle for encompassing the submerged ball. Such devices require visual observation of the ball, and in many instances the submerged ball is not visible and is unretrievable with this type of device.
Rake-like golf ball retrievers having a plurality of fingers or tines for retrieving non-observable balls are known such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,721,755; 2,738,214; 4,216,831 and 4,774,804. However, such rake type retrievers have experienced limited success in that golf balls are partially buoyant, and when engaged by a rake the ball will often rise over the rake and escape retrieval. Pat. No. 4,774,804 discloses a rake having upper and lower serrations, but the configuration of the serrations are not sufficient to effectively retain submerged balls lifted by the retriever.